Product Review: Flash & Glow Jr Ball

This Flash & Glow Jr. light-up ball by American Dog Toys arrived exactly one year ago in our October 2014 BarkBox. It apparently took me an entire year to use it enough to write a reasonable review. This is the smaller size of this ball, at a bit under 3" in diameter. Ours is pink, and when it hits the ground it flashes very, very bright red. It floats and is durable enough to handle being lobbed across a tennis court.

Photo by Erin Koski

This should be the perfect ball for late night games of fetch in the tennis court. It's a little small for Brisbane, but he is very picky about balls and pretty much rejects anything that isn't a tennis ball or an Ultraball. I'm a little surprised that BarkBox sent us the smaller ball because it's almost too small for 40-pound Brisbane and our box is supposed to be suitable for dogs up to 50-pounds.

The Flash and Glow Jr. ball is surprisingly heavy and hard, which might be part of why Brisbane doesn't like it. It's tough plastic without a lot of give, and it doesn't bounce at all.

As advertised, the ball does flash and glow, very brightly. In fact it is so bright that it destroys my night vision and hurts my eyes. I have to try very hard not to look at it directly and I wonder if the dogs feel the same way.

Pros: Very bright and highly visible. Smaller than a tennis ball so better for small dogs. Super durable, nobody has bit through it yet. Floats. Can handle being thrown forcefully on cement repeatedly.

Cons: Extreme brightness is not ideal for total darkness as all you will see for a while is the spots in your vision. It's like looking at the sun. Very hard, hurts the dogs when they get hit accidentally in the dark.

Bottom Line: Not bad for dusk, but after hitting Sisci with it during a totally blind game of fetch I think I will look for a softer and dimmer ball.

Treat Tuesday: Healthy Dogma Pumpkin Biscuits

The Halloween Pumpkin Biscuits  by Healthy Dogma arrived in our October Allergy-Friendly BarkBox. In addition to barley, oats, peas, and of course pumpkin, they also contain vanilla and cloves. Though not quite as amazing as the pumpkin pie Smoochers, they do smell quite tasty. They are, however, disappointingly bland to human taste buds. (Don't judge me!)

Good For: Dogs who will eat literally any type of food. Low value training treats. Hiding around the house for the dogs to discover. Stringing on wearable edible dog necklaces. Balancing on dog heads while practicing our leave-it command.

Not Good For: Super-picky chihuahuas. Little girl dogs who need to contemplate everything before they eat it. High-value training treats.

How Much We Like Them: Enough to lick them, apparently. They're really quite bland.

Sisci Stays

Sisci, my foster puppy, is too perfect. She is perfect with Brisbane. She is perfect with Ru. She is perfect with the cats. She is perfect with the tortoise. She learns new tricks right away and absolutely loves training time. She is amazing at herding sheep, and shows an amazing amount of talent in agility class. She is very interested in dock jumping, lure coursing, disc, flyball...

Obvious I have to keep her. She is the dog I wanted when I got Brisbane ten years ago. The dog who can do all the dog sports. I couldn't have handled her back then though. Brisbane was the dog I needed at the time, the dog who wouldn't tolerate any mistakes and forced me to become a better trainer in order to meet his needs. His physical limitations have taught me to listen to my dog and put his health and welfare over my own desires to compete.

Wish Granted

Like many dog sports people, I have had a wishlist for my next dog for the last several years. According to my hopes and dreams, my next dog would be:

1. Structurally sound, athletic, and built to handle high-impact activity with minimal chance of injury.

2. Full of unstoppable drive. I wanted a dog just as intense as Briz.

3. Smaller than Brisbane. Not Ru-tiny, but after carrying 60-lb Josie off the trail I knew I wanted a

dog I could comfortably haul around.

4. Bouncy. I wanted a dog that could jump high enough for me to catch. Several of the dogs at work do that, and I think it is the most endearing behavior on the planet.

5. Female, because I felt Brisbane would be more likely to get along nicely with a girl and it's important to me that he not just tolerate his housemate.

6. A blue cattledog. I always wanted a blue heeler. I wanted a blue when I got Brisbane, but fell in love with him instead. This time around I was totally going to get a blue.

Sisci fits everything on that list except for color, which is obviously the least important. At 11 months old she is a brilliant, high-energy, super-drivey, super-bouncy dog that jumps onto a 3' platform as easily as she hops over a 6" jump. She picks up new skills and tricks almost as fast as Brisbane, and is entirely too much fun to train. Best of all, having someone to take turns with makes training way more exciting for Brisbane. She's not that great with people yet, but I already have a decade of experience working with a reactive working-lines cattledog.

Sisci is the dog of my dreams, and she has come along at exactly the right time. At ten years old, Brisbane has a few years to teach her how to be the best dog ever. I know his time will come eventually, and I'm glad to have his help training his successor. Sisci just fits.